Shadows of Almia: Quint Reunion
by GGDeimos
Summary: Darkrai and some of the other legandary Pokemon are up to no good. Violent earthquakes and shocking secrets are only the beginning of an adventure for Top Rangers Tori and Keith. Can they save Almia's people before certain doom strikes?
1. Violent Quakes

"Tori, you're wanted in Haruba Village!"

I sighed inwardly as Rythmi called my name. "Rythmi," I pleaded, "Haven't I earned a day's rest? I mean, I was there yesterday helping those little kids with their Rain Dance." I paused. "Was it Henry who messaged you?"

"Yes, it was," Rythmi replied. "He said it was very urgent and that he needed someone right away. Supposedly there are four giant Tangrowth wandering around by the docks. Sven and Wendy are in Almia Castle and Keith is away visiting his dad. I'll ask Erma if you can have the rest of the day off after this. She probably won't object. Oh, and how did you know it was Henry?"

"Lucky guess."

Ha, Tangrowths, I thought to myself. Two loops around each of them will take care of that. This won't be long.

"Alright, Rythmi," I said. "I'll be back soon. Come on, Misdreavus," I called to my partner Pokemon,"let's show those Tangrowth what we're made of!"

I jogged outside of the Ranger Union, calling a goodbye to Professor Hastings. He absentmindedly waved, looking like he was in the middle of something important. I quickly captured a Staraptor for the long flight to Haruba Village.

As Misdreavus and I ascended into the sky, I realized I had some time to think... about Keith.

Keith had been away from the Union for a while, visiting his dad in the Sinnoh Region. His dad had gotten sick a year before, and Keith was just now getting some time off to stay with him and his mother. We hadn't spoken to each other much, only through voicemail. We also communicated by letters, and one letter I remembered very clearly:

_Tori,  
I'm here in Sinnoh now, and settling in alright. Twinleaf Town  
is very quiet, and I'm not used to it. I live next door to a woman  
named Johanna, and I visit with her regularly. She loves to hear  
my Almia adventures with you and the Union. She also says that_  
_she has a daughter named Tori! Isn't that ironic?_

_My dad is okay, I guess, and helping my mother is easy enough.  
I'm working part-time for Professor Rowan as an assistant researcher  
about Pokemon evolutions. It's very enjoyable, but not as rewarding  
as being a Ranger. I sit inside a little cubicle for five hours straight,  
doing research. At least I'm being paid for doing tedious work._

_As long as I'm here, is there really a future for us at all? What if  
I can never come back, would we really be able to continue our  
relationship through letters and voicemail? I'm only kidding, Tori;  
I'll do anything for you. You are my best friend._

_At this rate, maybe I can be back in Almia this time next year.  
Maybe I can get away even before then! Please fill me in on what  
you are doing, and tell Rythmi I said hello. I will never forget our  
promise the three of us made together at the Ranger School._

_In my mind, you are with me, Tori. I'll always have a piece of your  
spirit in my head, even though we are more than three thousand miles  
from each other. I hope you are doing the same._

_With hope and love,_

_Keith_

"Three thousand miles.... next year.... future.... for us......." I mumble, talking to myself. "Do I really care for him the same way that he cares for me? Hopefully I'll know by next year when he comes back."

Staraptor cried out a call, alerting me that we were about to land. I jerked out of my dreamy state, and turned to Misdreavus, who was levitating right behind me. "Are you ready, girl?"

She spun around in a circle, making happy little noises. My Misdreavus and I had been partners for a while, and we always looked after each other and had each others' backs. I do recall that she had always watched mine a little closer than all of my other partners, and we shared a tight bond. Even though she was small, she made up for her tiny mass in speed. If I had a problem with capturing a difficult Pokemon, she backed me up with her Ghost Poke Assist.

There was a sudden drop, and I could feel the air around me breeze upward. Staraptor plummeted toward the earth, and I held on a little tighter around his neck. In a matter of seconds, Misdreavus and I were on the ground, and the great bird Pokemon was flying off into the sun. "Thanks for the ride, Staraptor!" I called out to him. I realized I was smack dab in the middle of Haruba Village, with tourists and inhabiters alike, waving to me in alarm. I looked around, and spotted Henry hurtling toward me.

"Tori, Tori!" He shouted at me, breathlessly. "Come- quick-docks-Tangrow...!" He couldn't finish his sentence before he fell to the ground. I didn't have time for that!

Feeling frustrated, I called out to a nearby tourist, "Can you help this man? I really need to get to the docks!"

The woman nodded, quickly taking in the situation. "The four Tangrowth are by the docks down that way," she pointed southward. "They have already destroyed one, so please hurry!"

I sprinted toward the docks, in fear that the other two were already broken. Tourists wouldn't be able to get out if they were all in pieces! _Not on_ _my watch,_ I thought, as the view of the docks came near.

The four wild Tangrowth were thrashing their limbs and flailing about in confusion, crushing boats and almost hitting people. I quickly reached for my Styler on my belt. I thrusted it out, and began the looping. One, two... One, two... One, two... One, oh, hit the Tangrowth, two... done!

The exhausted Pokemon sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily. "I'ts okay, big guys," I soothed them, "It's okay now. I'm going to release you and-"

BOOM!

BANG!

CRACK!

I froze. Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath me and split, making a line betweeen me and the Tangrowth. I screamed as the ground seemed to swallow one of the Tangrowth, pulling him under the earth. I tried to jump up, but the land was shaking too hard. Immediatley falling down, I lay on the ground. Near me, a giant palm tree wavered with pressure, and I knew that it was about to topple. I jumped up, trying to move away, but the shaking of the ground was too much for me. The tree came down on my leg, and I heard the loud _crack!_ I screamed in agony, and waited for the trembling to come to a halt. Within a matter of seconds, the shaking stopped, and I slowly sat up, being cautious.

"Voicemail, voicemail!" My Styler beeped with Rythmi's voice. "Tori, are you alright?"

"Nnnnoooo." My teeth chattered with shock. "I--I think my l--leg's br-r-oken."

"Hang in there; we're sending the Vientown rescue team. Barlow and the crew should be there in a few minutes."

"Rythmi," I asked, "Were you and the Union hit with the earthquake?"

"Surprisingly, no," she answered. "I checked in on you only because we were getting reports of major earthquakes from Haruba Village and Boyleland."

On the horizon, I could just barely make out the rather large shape of Barlow and the smaller shapes of Luana and Crawford. "Guys, over here!" I called out to them.

I said to Rythmi, "The crew's here, now. I'll report to the Professor when I get back." I shut the Voicemail appliance off at the moment that the Vientown rescue team made their way over to me.

"Tori, you look like you got hit seriously hard!" Barlow reached his hand down to pull me up. "Is shaken up the new style for Top Rangers now?"

Despite my injury, I had to laugh. "You haven't changed a bit, my friend." As he helped my stand up, I sqealed with pain. "Ouch!"

"Here, put your arms around our shoulders," Luana volunteered herself and Crawford. I shakily hopped over to them and wrapped my arms around each of their necks. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate this."

"We can't leave a friend in need, can we?" Crawford smiled. They led me over to where our Staraptor escorts were waiting. "We need to get you back to the Union for some serious medical treatment."

The rangers helped me on to my Staraptor, and our transportation Pokemon flew side by side each other back to the Ranger Union. Exchanging news about current events in our lives, I felt a bitter sadness rising up within me. Sometimes I still wished I worked back in Vientown with my friends. _Maybe I can go back as a leader one day..._

I felt my Staraptor fall at a temperate speed, as to let us know that we were back to the Union. We glided faster and faster, then we eased downward slowly. My Staraptor planted her feet on the ground, and Barlow helped me off. "Thanks, guys, for everything. I couldn't have better friends than all of you." I waved them goodbye as I limped toward the entrance, toward the meeting room.


	2. Shocking News

"Hold up!" Barlow called after me. "We're not done here yet, the Professor and Erma called a meeting." He scooped me up and threw me over his shoulders. I protested, but he took no notice of my plea.

Luana and Crawford followed us up the flights of stairs, and we came to the meeting room. Barlow put me down, and entered inside. I saw Sven and Wendy, and Rythmi, too. Also, all the rest of my Vientown friends were there too, including Ollie and Elaine. "How are you guys?" I asked, hugging each of them. They returned my greetings, as did Sven and Wendy also, but their serious faces told that something was up.

I took my seat at the end of the table, next to Sven. At that moment, Professor Hastings walked in, whispering something to Murph, who was beside him. Erma followed behind the pair, and the door slid closed. "Since it appears we are all here," Professor Hastings said, "We can start the meeting."

"Hold up," Barlow protested. "Tori's leg is in critical condition. She needs medical help fast."

"I can wait," I said. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Very well, then," Hastings said. "The news I have to share is important, so Tori's leg can wait."

Everyone settled down, and got ready to listen to the news. "Murph and I have discovered the cause of the violent shaking," the Professor announced. "Apparently, there was a secret underground cavern no one knew of until our own friend Murph stumbled across it unexpectedly. It was very shocking to find out that no one knew about this place until yesterday."

Murph nodded. "It's true; I was out exploring the Boyleland Volcano, and the ground mysteriously caved in beneath me. I fell for a while, and then finally landed on warm ground with a thud. I realized I had fallen deep into the volcano.

"I looked around, but it was very dark. Luckily, I had Shinx with me, who is able to use the move Flash. The cavern lit up around me, and I found that there was another room to the cave.

"I wandered in quietly, and crouched down behind a rock. There sight that I saw next scared me to death."

The people in the room waited quietly with anticipation, anxiously awaiting Murph's news.

"Four tough-looking Pokemon were surrounding one central Pokemon. The surrounding Pokemon were Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Cresselia," Murph swallowed, "and the central Pokemon was Darkrai."

Gasps errupted from all over the room, and one question was heard: "What are they planning?"

"No one knows for sure yet, although it can't be good," Chairperson Erma said quietly.

"So what really caused the violent trembling?" Wendy asked.

Hastings said, "Our computers picked up a giant mineral stone lurking around in the cavern. Murph reported that Darkrai pushed the stone into the ground, making the earth crack into two. He ran back to the entrance, and found that in the original cavern that there was a tunnel leading up to the ground. As you can see, he escaped.

"What I gather from all of this," Hastings went on, "is that those legendary Pokemon are planning something for good or for evil. We don't know why they chose to meet there, because they can all travel either through dreams, space, or time. We don't know what the large stone is for. For all we know, they could still be down there! We have to investigate... investigate the Quint Reunion."


	3. Injuries and a Surprise Guest

"Please go back to your regular duties until further notice. That means patrols, Rangers." These were the rushed parting words of Professor Hastings, a sign of dismissing everyone. Barlow, Crawford, and Luana waved goodbye. "Remember to see a doctor soon, Tori!" The other rangers dispersed and left the area. Professor Hastings was the last to leave.

I remained in the room, immobile because of my leg. Only Erma, Sven, Wendy, and myself remained. "I'm glad you three are here," Erma said. "I needed to talk to you." I shifted uneasily in my seat. "As you can probably already can tell, the Professor has been feeling a bit stressed lately."

"That's understandable, Erma," Sven said. "He's under a lot of stress working nonstop because of this new mystery."

"Yes, but there have been times as hard as this and he has not been feeling this bad. Maybe I'm the one who's watching him too closely," Erma wondered.

"We're all worried about the Professor, and the stress that he's under," Wendy stated, and I nodded my agreement. "But the Professor can handle it. He's done several missions like this one before, each one just as hard as the other. This isn't any different. It may take a little extra deciphering, but he's not one to give up."

"I think you're absolutely right, Wendy," I agreed. "Professor Hastings can handle anything!"

"Perhaps you rangers are correct, and that this is nothing more than a mood swing." Erma looked under the table at my leg. "Oh, goodness! Tell us exactly what happened to you."

I launched my full tale about Haruba Village and the earthquake, saving the Tangrowths, and breaking my leg. The three of them winced in sympathy when I told them about the sickening crunch of my leg. "After I couldn't stand, Rythmi sent Barlow and the gang to help me get back."

Erma nodded. "You're lucky that the Vientown rangers were available, and that the Professor also has his medical degree and can take a look at your leg." She walked around to my side of the table and helped me up, motioning to Wendy for her to help her carry me to the Professor's study.

They walked me down the corridor to the Professor's office. Erma punched in a code on a set of buttons by the door, and we entered the large study. Professor Hastings sat in his swivel chair, examining some documents. One look at my leg and he jumped out of his chair, and waved Erma and Wendy off. "Thank you, Erma and Wendy. I can take it from here now." He sat me down on a couch, and walked over to his closet, opened the door, and pressed a button. On the other side of the room, the wall flipped, showing a metal examining desk. He walked back over to me, and he could tell that I was impressed.

"Interesting," I said. "I never knew that you had that."

"No one does," said the Professor. "I only use it in emergencies." He took another look at my dangling leg. "And your emergency calls for the table."

He lifted me up onto the surface. Cold and hard, it gave my skin chills. I lifted my leg up for the Professor to examine. He looked up and down it, and finally looked at me. "You need to have a cast for this," he told me.

"What?!" I shouted, nearly knocking him over.

Regaining his balance, Professor Hastings said, "I wouldn't give you one unless I believed you really need it. And you do."

"But I want to help with the Quint Reunion mission," I begged, my voice trembling, "Will I be well enough in time for investigations?"

The Professor looked at me. "Maybe," he started, "But don't get your hopes too high. If you strain it too much, definetly not." He left me on the table and walked back to his closet, pulling out some crutches. I groaned out loud. I had used these before when I was eight because I had sprained my ankle. Years later, I still remembered the feeling of sore armpits.

"I recommend using towels on the armrests," he advised, and I gladly took his advice. Wobbling out the door, I called out my thanks.

"Come see me next week for another examine!" the Professor shouted after me.

Limping on unsteady legs was rough. I could barely make it down the corridor without tripping over myself, and I nearly ran into three people. Deciding to visit Rythmi, I limped up the stairs, just barely making it not falling. I finally got up, and hobbled over to Rythmi's station.

Spotting me first, Rythmi ran over to me, nearly knocking me down. I had to resteady myself before I talked to her. "Sorry, Tori!" Rythmi apologized, and before I could get a word in edgewise she said, "Come here, I have a surprise for you." She walked toward the top floor of the Ranger Union building.

Confused, I followed her. She helped me up the stairs, and caught me when I fell over backwards. At the top of the Ranger Union builiding, you can see all of Almia, not to mention Fiore, too. At the top of the stairs, I gazed around, wondering what my surprise was. She grabbed me by the hand and said, "You're going to thank me for this."

She led me to the huge oak tree in the middle of the top floor. I stared at it. "Sooo..." I started, "What's the big deal about our tree? You know I see it almost every day. The oak tree is my--?"

I stopped mid-sentence as I stared in awe at the person who walked out from behind the giant tree. The only person who could make my heart leap, when I thought that it wasn't possible. The one person who saved me from the everlasting darkness that Darkrai had in store for me that day. The person who, so long ago, made a promise with me and my other best friend, who stood beside me now.

He stepped out of the tree's shadow and into a ray of sunshine, highlighting his light colored hair. He smiled his crooked smile that made me stop breathing altogether. "It's been a while, Tori." He didn't need to say anymore.

I limped awkwardly to his arms, but he met me halfway. He wrapped me into a great hug. "I missed you so much, Keith."


	4. The Lunar Stone

Rythmi jogged back down to her Operator station, saying that she had work to finish and that she would join us later. Keith and I were seated on the bench under the oak tree, catching up on the latest news.

"... So the Chikorita licked your Capture Line instead of attacking it?" I asked. "Uh... was it retarded or something?"

"No one knows for sure," Keith laughed. "But I decided to let that one go in case it did something else a bit different."

Keith made me feel so relaxed, like everything was alright. But it wasn't. I got straight down to the point. "Keith," I began, "Why are you here? Did you hear about the Quint Reunion?"

"Yes," Keith said solemnly. "The trouble that Darkrai and the other legendary Pokemon might be causing? I also thought that was an interesting name, Quint Reunion.

"I am confused, though," Keith went on, "Legends say that Palkia and Dialga are somewhat against Darkrai or may be in a war with him involved. Why would they get together now? And Cresselia? Legends say that she hated Darkrai too. And in a cavern under the Boyleland Volcano? There are too many unanswered questions here."

"So were you called back here to help with the mission?" I asked him.

"Actually, since my dad is feeling a little better, my mom said I could take off for Almia," Keith said. "And the Professor called me up here to take care of you because of your leg."

"_What?!_" I shouted, anger surging through my body. "He wants me _babysat_?"

"I knew you would have an outburst like every time, Tori," Keith sighed. "Only temporarily, until your leg heals."

_Ugh!_ I shouted inwardly. _I can perfectly take care of myself!_

"Anyway, after we're done talking Professor Hastings wants us down in the meeting room. He's found out some more about the mysterious stone," Keith said.

"Alright," I said gloomily, and Keith helped me up from the bench. "You really can't go down the stairs like that," he told me. "I guess I'll have to carry you."

Before I could protest, Keith sweeped me off of my feet and jogged down the steps. "You know," he huffed, "You could really use a wheelchair!"

I agreed. "That's not a bad idea. My armpits _kill!_"

He sat me down at the bottom with my crutches. We walked to the meeting room together, sharing few words. Down the hall, the meeting room door slid open, and we walked inside. As soon as everyone arrived, we took our usual seats and waited for the Professor to start.

Professor Hastings walked to the front of the room, saying, "We have found some more information about the mineral stone. It seems that this particular stone is made up of many color shades, all color-coded with different Pokemon types, such as Fire, Water, and Grass."

I wondered where he was going with this information. He continued, "These colors take over the minds of our Pokemon. The information I have found on this has been most intriguing. There are little shard pieces scattered around Almia that no one knows about. Not even the Union knew about it until about two days ago. For instance: Murph's partner Pokemon that day was his Spoink, a Psychic type Pokemon. Murph found some pink shard pieces under the ground when the floor caved beneath him. Spoink started acting strangely, and even attacked Murph. Therefore, we know that pink shards control the minds of Psychic Pokemon."

Rythmi shrieked. "That's horrible!"

"Murph eventually got Spoink away from the shards, and everything went back to normal," the Professor said. "Spoink acted like nothing had happened, so it apparently has no memory from it. Murph also told me that when he saw the stone in front of Darkrai, it had different rays of colors covering it. That's why we're calling it the Lunar Stone."

_That's just creepy,_ I thought to myself. _Shards controling the minds of innocent Pokemon. All of them coming from the Lunar Stone, perhaps._

"That's why I want Sven and Keith to take a research team out to Boyleland again," Professor Hastings announced. "Murph will tell you where the hole is and everything else you need to know." Murph ushered the team of two out the door.

"Wendy, will you help Tori around for the time being until Keith returns?" The Professor had a teasing glint in eye. "She won't be any trouble for you, I'm sure."

"Professor, is that really necessary?" I said, trying to change his mind. "Wendy could be doing much more useful things, like patroling, or Quests, or--"

"Wendy is going to help you around now, Tori." Professor Hastings said sternly. "You can't get around by yourself easily, and judging by how tired you're looking now you need a wheelchair. Wendy will help you."

"Alright," I grumbled, defeated. I stared down at my shoes.

"Meeting dismissed, everyone. Except for Tori; stay there while I get you a wheelchair." The Professor whisked out of the room, as did everyone else. Only Wendy and I remained.

"It'll be fun, Tori!" Wendy exclaimed. "We can go for a walk in the Vien Forest. Well, actually, I'll push and you'll ride."

"Okay," I reluctantly agreed. Then, with a little more enthusiasm, "We'll enjoy ourselves, I'm sure."

At that moment, the Professor walked back in with a wheelchair in front of him. "Here you go," he told me as he helped me in. "Have a nice time!" And with that, Wendy wheeled my out the door.


End file.
